The purpose of this project is to explore the great variety and abundance of the marine environment for molecular models of neurobiology. In particular, we investigate species or phenomena which display an amplification or simplification of human physiology or pathology. Typical examples studied in this project are: sea urchin embryos in membranogenesis, bioelectrogenesis in the electric eel and CNS degeneration in the spawning Pacific salmon. During the past year we have developed an improved technique for the preparation of milk fat globule membranes and molecular constituents thereof. In collaboration with Prof. Patton the effect of membrane antibodies on membranogenesis and excretion was investigated. We continued our work on membrane development in unicellular eukaryotes. Specifically we studied the distribution and development of membrane ecto-ATPases and ecto-5'-nucleotides in developing sea urchin embryo, acanthameba and the symbiotic dinoflagellate, zoozanthella. While all eukaryotes exhibit ecto-ATPase activity, apparently only those who participate in syncytic organization possess ecto-5'-nucleotidase.